Heater



May 19, 1925- 1,538,857

A. H. LIGHT Hang: R

Filed Oct. 1922 4 h eisShet 1 Awaz ngysQ May 19, 1925- 1,538,857'

A. H. LIGHT HEATER Fi d t, 9. 1922 Isneets sheet 2'" 4o Ga e-retired '0 gnaiir 0 T o z a 1% 1, "I

1 i in -W lhl lk nh i I Q I Q ii I o 7 r l? If; '1 7 Q m l a I n1 1 9 1 l 1 l Patented May 19, 1925.

UNITED STATES ARTHUR H. LIGHT, or OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

HEATER.

Application filed October 9, 1922. Se ial No. 593,481.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR H. Lrei-rr, a citizen of the United States, and a resident ofthe city of Oakland,-county of Alameda, and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Heaters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is particularly app'licableto the heating of crude oil and the like to secure a proper combustion in oil furnaces. This heating reduces the oil viscidity and establishes a fluid state, to enable it to be readily fired under the boilers.

The principal object of my invention is to secure the transfer of heat from one fluid to another in the most efiicient and economical way, and in apparatus smaller than that heretofore employed for an equivalent heating capacity.

A further object is the arrangement of the parts whereby the complete apparatus may be placed in a relatively confined space making it particularly applicable to the heating of fuel oil on vessels, or in other confined locations.

One of the objects of my heater is to provide apparatus which may be readily cleaned by the easy separation of interlocking parts whereby free oil-contacting surfaces are readily exposed and space provided for the manipulation of cleaning tools.

Another object is the provision of heating units adjacent each other and forming with each other a tortuous passage of large exposed areathrough which the oil in it's flow is caused to take on a turbulent movement or internal circulation, thuscausing every particle thereof to come in close contact with the heated surface;

Other objects will appear from the drawings and specifications which follow.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 shows one form of my heater especially adapted to the preheating of fuel oil with the two sections opened out preparatory to cleaning, shown in the lower portion of the figure, and in the upper poition of figure the two sections are shown bolted together.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the heater of Fig. 1 with the two sections opened out, and showing portions of the heating units exposed.

Fig. 3 is a side view of Fig. 1 with the lower portion of the heater casing shown in cross-section, and the heater units shown in full.

Fig. 4 is an assembly of two heaters connected together in operative position and adapted to parallel heating.

Fig. 5 is a section on-the line V-V of Fig. 7. v

Fig. (dis a section of one of the heating units on the line VIVI of Fig.7. 7

Fig. 7 is a plan view of one of the heating units in one section of the heater and showing thereunder an adjacent heating unit mounted with the other section of the heater, the two units being shown in their rela tive position when the oil is caused to flow therethrough.

Fig. 8 shows the arrangement; of feed pipes and ports for steam or other heating fluid, and the corresponding drain ports from the heating units, and discharge con nections therefrom, and the manner in which the heating units are supported against end distortion.

Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic showing of the manner in which my heater may be employed for pro-heating the fuel oil for use under boilers. Fig. 10 shows a variation in my heater employing acylindrical shell.

Throughout the figures similar numerals refer to identical parts.

My heater is preferably composed of two sections indicated respectively by the numerals 1, 2, which'may be movably mounted as indicated by the 'davit 4' or hinge 8, and suitably supported as from a ship bulkhead 5. i

When these two sections are bolted together as at 6, :theyform a closed chamber to which thereis an'inlet port 7 under the control of'valve 8, and an outlet connection 9 under the control of valve 10.

Within thiscompartment 1 is a steam inlet 11 which is fed from the steam main 12 and which main also feeds a steam inlet 13 to the section 2. The steam pipes 11 and 13 pass through a glands as 14 and into a steam distributing pipe 15, the latter preferably enclosed within a discharge channel 16, within which channel the discharge from the heat units is collected and passes out through the discharge pipe 17.

A similar steam distributing pipe, discharge channel, discharge pipe, and heating units are provided in the section 2 fed-from the steam pipe 13, and when the two secposition indicated in Fig.5, at .which-.time

contact takes place between the adjacent heating units at 40, 41, 42, 43.

It will be understood that other forms of corrugations or shapesof plates may be employed than those shown and which will result in the adjacent'units contacting at.

different points. For example in Fig. 7' it will'be seen that the crossing of the corrugations on superimposed plates will'result in contacting therebetween at the points 81, 32, 33, 34, as well as at the center 42. In this way the plates mutually support each other against internalpressure; and the outer exposed heating units are supported in a simi larmanner by the adjusting screws 35, 36, at the top and bottom respectively of the casing (see Fig.8).

By referring to- Fig.2 showing the two sections opened outwardly as for cleaning, and following the disconnecting of the unions 27, it will be seen that thereis a pocket or open portion as at 40, 41*and these openings forma clearance space around the steam pipes 11 and-12' and their discharge channels Through these clearance spaces the oil is enabled; to'tra'vel from the-bottom of thecompartment as itflow-s from the pipe 7 and in an upward 'clirection, and following the path" of the arrows (see Fig. 3),.passing between the external surfaces of adjacentheating units, first in one direction,-then through the-clearance passage40", or 41, and. thence in an opposite direction through the. opposite clearance space, then again reversing its'directioin-and soon-gradually-travelingin a tortuous path from the bottom towards-the top, and finally out of the-heater in thoroughlyheated condition through the pipe 9.

It is tobe noted that during-its passage through the path formed between adjacent plates :it-encounters ribs on one plate running in-a direction counterto the TlbS on an.

adjacent plate, and the oil is thus-caused "to circulate at every point. of var1at1on- -1n.-

the cross-section-of itsfiow. This causes anintimate contacting with the heated external surface of the heating units and thus the oil acquires its full 'heattransfer there from.

The corrugations of the plates cause: a

turbulencyor circulation within the moving oil and promote a more :rapld transfer of heat by.the-intimate contact between the heated-surface and every particle of flowthencev throughthc openings 18, 19,20, into:

ing oil.

It is well .known that in the heating of hydrocarbon oils as. where they arexpre-n heated for firingpurposes, the heaters here-, tofore-employed-have'cansed the O1l.i'0. de-Q posit carbon or other heavy inert material on the surface of the heater, thereby-greatly reducing the etficiency and making necessary frequent cleaning of the oil passages and,heatingssurfaces against which the oil contacts, or the entire rejection of a heating coil.

By arranging the ribs or corrugations in accordancewith my-invention the unit surfaces may be readily cleaned. This is accomplished by opening out the heatersections. as shown in the lower part'of'Fig, 1 and ingFig. 2 when the unit surfaces are separated and a scraping tool may be readily passed through the-valleys of the corrugationsand over the unit surfaces. I

Referring particularly to Fig. 9, a steam boiler is indicated at 50 whichis fired from the fuel -burner 51 which latterin turn is supplied with fuel from the tank. 52 and forced therefrom by the pump 58, through either one-or both of the heaters 54 or. 55, depending upon the --manipulation of the inlet and outlet valves for the steam and the fuel. From one or both of these heaters the hot oil is transmit-tedthrough' the pipes 9 to the burner 51 where it 'is atomized. The boiler 58 also, supplies steam through the pipe 59 and thence as a heating fluid" through my heaters 54, 55,-where more or lesscondensation occurs which-is trapped at60 and thence 1 discharged intoa hot well from which further boiler supply may be taken or may be otherwise used-as desired.

The heater here shown and described is particularly adapted to the preheating of fuel oil bysteam; however to -those skilled in theart other uses will-appear, ,and I desire to be understood as claiming my invention whenappliedtoother uses in the interchange of heat andit may be employed for the cooling orheating of any-fluids, whether gases or liquids by circulating a fluid at one temperature through one of the passage ways in contact: with thewalls-of the units through which the other fluid maybe passed.-

The operation-is as follows:

Assuming. that "the-heater is properly;

each 30f the-.heatin-gunits attached to the steam pipe of each of the heater sections, thus highly heating each heater. unit.

Thecondensed or expanded steam returns through the outlets as 24, 25, 26, into the discharge column 16 and thence as condensate or expended steam through the pipes 17, 17, to the trap 60. The steam will therefore, by heating the surface of the heating units, effect a high heating of the oil flowing through the heater as previously described.

The oil outflow from the heaters is through the pipe 9 which of course should be suitably heat insulated, and will now be continuous through the strainer 61 to the burner 51 as long as required. After prolonged action of the hot metallic surfaces of the heat units against a hydrocarbon fuel oil a greater or less deposit will inevitably occur on said surfaces, and it will be necessary to clean them in order to maintain the heating and the flowing efficiency through the heater. This cleaning I accomplish by first shutting off the oil and steam and after the heater has cooled, disconnecting the unions 27, 27 and unbolting the two sections and swinging them apart as shown in Fig. 2. This results in separating the alternating heating units from each other and presenting their exposed surfaces freely for access by suitable tools. The deposited carbon may now be readily removed from the unit surfaces when the apparatus is ready for reassembling as shown in the upper part of Fig. 1 and for further use.

By mounting two of my heaters in parallel as shown in Figs. 4 and 9 either heater may be cut out and cleaned without interrupting the fuel supply through the other, so that continuous hot oil service may be maintained.

In forming my heating units I prefer to form them with tapering surfaces from the steam pipe towardsthe periphery so that as the interlocking units recede from each other there is provided an increasing clearance therebetween.

And when again closed together and just at the moment of reaching final position they interlock against each other, as at the points 40, 11, 42, 43, see Fig. 5, or at points 81, 32, 33, 34, or as may be otherwise required, thereby to support them against distortion from internal pressure, and on the ends against the set screws 35, 36, of Fig. 8.

I also prefer to leave an internal projecting boss or bumped-in portion as 46 whereby the two surfaces of any single unit as 44, 45, are prevented from collapsing due to external pressure, as that of the flowing oil. This is particularly advantageous at such times as the steam pressure may be reduced or cut off entirely, when the heating units are subject to the full pressure of the pump 53, see Fig. 9 and these bumped-in portions for supporting the walls may be located at as many points as desired to provide for safely carrying any external pressure.

Referring now specifically to Fig. 10,

wherein I have shown a variation in the heater construction employing similar heating units arranged in similar manner with a cylindrical shell, preferably of drawn or welded steel, indicated by the numeral 7 O to whichare fitted cover plate 71 and bottom plate '7 2. Steam supply pipes as before are shown at Hand 13 and discharge pipes 17 and 17. The heating units as before, are arranged about the steam supply pipe and the discharge pipe in the manner shown in Fig. 8; the requisite number of heating units are built up on the two pipes, which pipes are 181d in place by top and bottom glands 14c, 1 1, within the steel shell. An inlet for the oil to be heated is shown at 7 and an outlet at 9 and the flow of the oil about the surface of the heating units is in a tortuous channel as shown by the arrows. When built in this form my heater may be readily cleaned by removing either of the heads 71 or 7 2 and withdrawing the assembled heating units from the shell when they may be readily cleaned by inserting a tool between the surfaces.

I claim:

1. A heater comprising a chamber formed of co-operating section members each provided with. a supply pipe for a heating fluid and a plurality of relatively flat hollow heating units supported from said pipe, the units in one of said members adapted to pass between the units of the other member and the outer surfaces of the units forming a tortuous passage for other fluid to be heated when the parts are assembled in operative relation, ports for the supply of heating fluid from the pipes to the units, discharge ports from each unit and a discharge passage for expended fluid, and inlet and outlet" connections to said chamber for said other fluid.

2. A heater comprising a chamber formed of co-operating section members each provided with a supply pipe for a heating fluid and a plurality of relatively fiat hollow heat ing units supported from said pipe, the units in one of said members adapted to pass between the units of the other member and the outer surfaces of the units forming a tortuous passage for other fluid to be heated when the parts are assembled in operative relation, ports for the supply of heating fluid from the pipes to the units, discharge ports from each unit and a discharge passage for expended fluid, and inlet and outlet connections to said chamber for said other fluid, portions of the surfaces of ad jacent units contacting with each other to provide reinforcement against distortion.

3. A heater comprising a chamber formed of co-operating section members each provided with a supply pipe for a heating fluid and a plurality of relatively flat hollow heating units supported from said pipe, the

units in one of" saiduineinbeirsz adaptedoto. l. Inca heater a plurality of hollow disc passabetweenithe unitsofthenothexamemhere 1ike.-heatiag;-units; the; alterna eun ts; n.

and-the outer surfaces. ot the units forming, a tortuous passage for other. fluid toibe; heat-.3 ed when the parts are! assembled inoperative relation, ports: for the: supplyiof iheatin; fluid .flOllllZllB pipes -to;the1 units,- discharge; ports: from eachanfit 1 and, a discharge pas-l sage tor expended fluid, andtinletandoutlett connections to said chamben for ,said other fluid, portions of the surfacesof adjacent unitseontacting with each other, to: provide; reinforcement I against distorton and I abut-1 ments at thetop and bottom of the. chamber to receive the thrust of.- the adjacent sunfaces; otthe top and bottonmunitsl:

unitsspaced apartth-rough a large part of ot-fluid to be heated di'ain-{portsand passages frointhe,unitsand a casing enclosing sages ifOlqSillCl; fluid;

ARTHUR H. LIGHT.

ing;,clear,ance"spaces on one sideand the otliermnits clearance spaces on the opposite side,-= said,-rnnits supplied troin two steam; supply pipespositioned opposite said clearance spaces, the 3 surfaces Qt-the adjacent their areasand providing with said clear-t ance spaces a tortuous passage for the flow theheating units With inlet and outlet pas-, 

